In the world of female fronted symphonic metal it's the little touches that mark a band out from the mass. Stream of Passion are all for these little touches, ever since their inception under the guidance of Ayreon mastermind Arjen Lucassen they have embraced an ever shifting sound which is far from generic. Their debut album Embrace The Storm, designed as a showcase for Marcela Bovio's vocal talents was heavily influenced by a distinctly Arjen oriented sound. The follow up The Flame Within represented a significant departure from this, the progressive elements taking second place to catchy melodies. Darker Days continues in this vein but is far from a stagnant pool of uninspired and indistinguishable tracks and there is more to this album than simply the vocal delivery than first meets the ear.

The music compliments the vocalist perfectly, of course the focus of this band has always been on Marcela's voice but this album adds a little extra to the experience with the slight progressive touches. An improvement over the previous album, perhaps even better than their debut.